Best European Marketplaces to Sell On: OTTO, Kaufland or bol.com

The best European marketplaces to sell on after Amazon are usually OTTO, Kaufland and bol.com, and the right one to launch first depends on where your company is registered, which countries you want to reach and how much volume you can support. Kaufland is often the easiest first step because one account covers nine countries and it publishes no EU-only rule, while OTTO and bol.com both require an EU company. This guide compares eligibility, costs, language and logistics so you can choose.

Start with five questions

Before comparing fees, answer five questions about your business. Most launch decisions follow from them.

• Where is your company registered? An EU entity opens every option. A UK-only company narrows the field.
• Which customers do you want first? German, Dutch and Belgian, or a spread across several countries.
• Can you serve customers in their language? All three marketplaces expect local-language customer service.
• Where is your stock? OTTO and bol.com require dispatch from within Germany or the EU, and agencies report that Kaufland expects an EU returns address.
• What volume can you show? bol.com asks international partners for at least EUR 500,000 sales potential in year one.

Who can sell on each marketplace

Based on each marketplace’s official seller pages as published in November 2026.

OTTO

OTTO opened to sellers from other EU countries during 2026. Its official seller site now lists companies from the Netherlands, Poland, Austria and France, with a pilot for selected Danish partners from November. Every published route requires an EU legal form and an EU VAT ID with OSS, and OTTO reviews each application individually.

Kaufland

Kaufland’s seller site does not state an EU-only rule. Companies headquartered abroad need a VAT ID for the marketplace country or an OSS-registered VAT ID, plus an EU authorised representative for CE-marked products made outside the EU. Kaufland publishes no specific position on UK companies, so confirm current terms with the marketplace.

bol.com

bol’s international partner page makes a registered EU company mandatory. It also asks for strong marketplace experience, Dutch customer service, integration through a bol-certified API partner and at least EUR 500,000 sales potential in the first 12 months.

Costs compared

All three charge commission on sales. The difference is the fixed monthly cost and how commission is structured.

Fees as published in November 2026. Sources: OTTO FAQ, Kaufland conditions and bol commission rates.

For a small test range, the fixed fee matters. OTTO’s base fee is more than twice Kaufland’s Basic plan, while bol has none, although bol’s volume threshold rules out most small tests anyway.

For a larger range, commission matters more than the subscription. Compare your own category on each marketplace, because rates vary widely by category and OTTO tiers some categories by price. bol may also adjust fees twice a year with seven days’ notice.

Approval and onboarding time

Kaufland says accounts are activated within three working days when all data is complete. bol says Dutch and Belgian registrations take three to five business days plus a one-day final check, and advertises a start in less than three weeks for international partners. OTTO publishes no fixed approval time.

OTTO has a time-limited reason to move. Its Go-Live Incentive doubles Sponsored Product Ads spend for three months for European partners outside Germany who join by 30 November 2026 and go live in under 10 weeks, under separate terms.

Logistics and returns

OTTO has no fulfilment service that we could find. Sellers ship from a German or EU warehouse, and returns to warehouses outside Germany must use DHL eCommerce.

bol offers Logistics via bol (LVB), where bol handles storage, shipping, returns and customer service for those orders, with orders often arriving the next day. It also offers Shipping via bol for orders you fulfil yourself.

Kaufland’s own fulfilment offer has changed in recent years and sources disagree on its current status. Plan to use your own or a 3PL warehouse unless Kaufland confirms otherwise.

Which marketplace should you launch first?

Launch Kaufland first if

You want several countries from one account, or your company is not registered in a country OTTO or bol.com accepts. You will still need a suitable VAT ID, and agencies report that an EU footprint helps.

Start with Kaufland.de, then add storefronts as language support allows. Read our full guide to selling on Kaufland.

Launch OTTO first if

Germany is your priority, you have an eligible EU company and you can offer German-language service. OTTO is curated, so a quality range and a strong application matter. See our guide on how to sell on OTTO.

Launch bol.com first if

The Netherlands and Belgium are your main markets, you have an EU company and you can show the volume bol asks for. Our guide to selling on bol.com covers the application in detail.

Where Allegro fits

If Poland and Central Europe matter more than the Benelux, Allegro deserves a place on the shortlist. Our guide to selling on Allegro explains how it works.

Compliance applies everywhere

Whichever marketplace you choose, the same EU rules follow your products. Product-safety information under GPSR, covered in our GPSR guide, and German packaging registration, covered in our LUCID guide, apply on OTTO and Kaufland as well as Amazon. If you are also expanding on Amazon, our guide to selling on Amazon Germany from the UK explains how the routes compare.

Running more than one marketplace

Many brands end up on two or three of these marketplaces. A shared product feed through a connector such as ChannelEngine or Base (Baselinker), both of which integrate with OTTO and Kaufland, keeps stock, prices and content in step.

The harder part is local work: German, Dutch and Polish listings, customer service in each language and advertising on each platform. Our EU marketplace management team runs this for brands across OTTO, Kaufland, bol.com, Allegro and more than 30 other European marketplaces, alongside Amazon management.

Frequently asked questions

Which European marketplace is easiest to start on?

For many brands, Kaufland is the easiest start. One registration covers nine storefronts, it publishes no EU-only rule and it says complete applications are activated within three working days.

Can a UK brand sell on OTTO, Kaufland or bol.com?

OTTO and bol.com both require an EU company, so a UK brand would need an EU entity. Kaufland’s official pages set no EU-only rule but publish no specific position on UK companies, so confirm current terms with Kaufland.

Which marketplace has the lowest fees?

bol.com has no subscription, Kaufland charges EUR 39.95 or EUR 59.95 a month and OTTO charges EUR 99.90 plus VAT, with commission on top in each case. These are fees as published in November 2026, and your category’s commission rate usually matters more.

Should I launch on several marketplaces at once?

Usually not. Launch on one, get listings, stock and customer service working, then add the next. A shared feed tool makes the second and third launches much faster.